Trick or Treat
by 2Tame a River
Summary: Months after his humiliating defeat at the hands of the Guardians, Pitch Black has remained a terrorized prisoner within his own dark fortress. Haunted by his fears and the Nightmares that tirelessly pursue him, Pitch summons the Spirit of the Wishing Star in a final act of desperation. But will the wish she grants him bring about his undoing or his salvation...? (A Halloween fic!)
1. Chapter 1

Hello readers!

This Rise of the Guardians short story fan fic was inspired by this upcoming October holiday...  
About the story content I will say no more ;P

This first bit of the story I suggest you read it nice and slow... and do your best to imagine the fabulous Jude Law's own voice, as if these were Pitch's very same thoughts!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Rise of the Guardians nor Pitch or any other familiar character mentioned. My only OC is the Wishing Star!

Enjoy!

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**Trick Or Treat**

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Chapter One

...

It was not fair!

He was not some insignificant, immortal spirit to be so easily cast aside and forgotten!

He did not deserve this!

To be left alone in the cold darkness without companionship of any kind.

To be subject to the very Nightmares in which he had once summoned as a powerful ally!

Those _Guardians_!

They did not deserve to grace the pedestal of praise they set themselves so highly upon.

Why... if they did not have their own special seasons to govern, their own _pathetic_ human holidays to glorify themselves and lure the children of the world into a false sense of security, then they would be just as worthless as-!

Wait...

Wait a minute...

Now there was an idea...

A human holiday... a holiday in which _he_ would be praised, in which _he_ would be believed in...

GAH! But it was no use! He was trapped down here in his prison of darkness, and there was no escape. Even if he could defeat the Nightmares, his fears crushed down mercilessly upon him, and always crippled any possible efforts he dared to conceive.

Then, it was in that mournful, sobering moment that Pitch Black had an epiphany.

He needed _help_.

He was powerless down here, a prisoner to his own devices and without any means of escape. Not on his own.

It was painful to admit, but Pitch could no longer ignore the truth that had been silently stirring deep down within his black heart during the millennia's of his existence.

What was more, he was _tired_ of being lonely. He was tired of being estranged and misunderstood by every living soul on the planet. All he wanted was to be believed in! Was that too much to ask?

It was not his fault that he had been chosen as the enforcer of fear and darkness! The Man in the Moon was responsible for that! If the Guardians could see beyond their own conceited heroism, they would know that the real war should be waged with the Moon Spirit!

Pitch Black swirled around in a fit of anger, his black robed form morphing into the menacing shadows about him.

The wild squeals of the Nightmares echoed all about his large fortress, their hooves stamping upon the cold cobblestone ground. He could hear the wild snorts from their nostrils and sense they drew near.

Galloping after him, haunting his soul wherever he went, the Nightmares were easily able to smell and track him when his fear was most potent in the air. Brief were Pitch's moments of respite. Rest was a precious thing in which he no longer had the privilege. And light? It was just another luxury in which Pitch could not afford to enjoy.

The one and only exception of this was that single night a month that he would gather what was left of his shattered courage and wind his way up the various spiral stair cases, dodging the notice of Nightmares every step of the way, towards the hole that was the top of the fortress in which he had been dragged into all those months ago.

It was there that he would hide for several hours and set a scathing glare upon the moon, sending every spiting, hateful thought along within the reach of his gaze towards the spirit who lived there.

This was where Pitch stood now, keeping to the murky shadows and quelling the stench of his fears by tempering them with the steam of his fury.

After three full moons, many terrifying nights, and countless curses uttered up to the Man in the Moon, he would tolerate the cruel twist of fate that had been dealt to him no longer!

Scanning the twinkling skies, Pitch's brooding glare swept through the hundreds of constellations in search of a particularly bright and shining star.

The _Wishing_ Star.

Daughter to the Man in the Moon, the Wishing Star was perhaps Manny's most beloved spirit. It was through her power alone that wishes were granted, but only for those who had the great fortune of spotting her out.

The Man in the Moon made it his job to keep her well hidden and tucked away each night so that her powers could not be wrongly abused. But every once in a good while... one lucky person would beat the odds, and the wish granting spirit would answer their call.

Pitch Black did not have such good experience with this practice, but tonight seemed like as good a night as any to give it another try.

"Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are..." Pitch hummed faintly beneath his breath, as if he were to lure her out from where she hid.

Many tales of her unmatched beauty had been told. Various versions of how she spoke, and how she acted were fragmented into rumors of all kinds all over the world.

Pitch Black had never before taken any interest in the frivolous story tellings of the accounts on the Wishing Star, but things had drastically changed in the last hundred years. Tonight, he was _desperate_.

"I know you are out there..." Pitch muttered darkly. "And if not tonight... then some other night... I _will_ find you..." he warned.

Back and forth his eyes swooped through the night sky, taking in the twinkling stars above while in the back of his mind, listening for any hint of the Nightmares' approaching.

Seconds ticked by like hours, and the agony of the time passing in fruitless search gnawed at Pitch's soul. Soon the Nightmares would find him, and he would be forced to flee once more.

Orion's Belt winked down at him, as did the Serpent and the Dragon. They mocked his efforts! Clenching his teeth, Pitch doubled his determination and spied out every cluster, every shooting star and distant planet.

"You would seek to keep her hidden away forever," Pitch hissed up at the Man in the Moon, sending the infernal spirit a quick sneer.

Then, he saw it. In the shadow of the moon's left side, a small but bright star pulsed in vibrant blue light. Pitch's breath caught in his chest and he stared up in awe, hoping beyond hope.

"Is that _you_...? My dear little wish giver?" Pitch breathed out in a hoarse whisper.

As if to reply, the distant blue star flickered rapidly, the lively flashes likening to that of a rather delighted dance.

"Why, it _is_ you!" Pitch smiled wickedly in satisfaction. Then, with eager anticipation, he raised his voice to project it loudly into the night.

"Star light, star bright,  
the first star I see to night,  
I wish I may, I wish I might,  
have the wish I wish tonight!"

The gay little blue star twinkled a few more times, then, the light dimmed and she was gone.

The star had disappeared.


	2. Chapter 2

All was still and silent.

Pitch Black strained his eyes and his ears through the sudden darkness that seemed to increase in potency around him. Even the distant snorts and whinnies of the Nightmares had subsided into an eerie nothingness below him within his shadow fortress.

The Wishing Star had vanished from the night sky, and now, Pitch fell subject to the tormenting storm of wary anticipation within his heart.

"Is this some sort of trick?" he muttered in frustration.

Had the Wishing Star turned her back on him? Had she refused to consent to the makings of a wish that had come from the despised likes of the Shadow Spirit?

Another moment of waiting and Pitch grit his teeth in bitter disappointment. He should have expected such treatment. Why should he have believed for even a moment that he would be treated like any normal supernatural being?

In a ferocious fit of anger, Pitch growled loudly and spun away from the hole of his cavern to march his way down the spiral stair cases.

"Even a simple wish I have been denied!" he roared into the vast blackness, his voice booming into the empty spaces and echoing back at him.

In crushed, soul wrenching defeat, Pitch collapsed to his knees upon the cold stone floor and slammed his fists against the ground.

_Why? Why me? Surely I do not deserve this..._

While his heart despaired, his anguish and torment thick within the atmosphere, a crisp speck of pure, clean light began to form suspended in the air above him.

As Pitch continued to wallow in his woes, the light's size and brightness steadily increased. Suddenly aware of the light reflecting off the stone floor, Pitch looked up, and gasped in shock, shrinking away and shielding his eyes.

The sheer intensity of the light was absolutely blinding for the supernatural embodiment of darkness, and Pitch quivered upon the floor in helplessness. There was no where he could hide, for darkness could not exist in the presence of such a powerful light.

"Do not be afraid, Pitch," Spoke a warm, sweet and melodic voice. "For I am the Wishing Star, and I have heard your call."

With the sound of her gentle, reassuring tone, Pitch dared to risk his first tentative glance at the entity who had invaded his fortress.

She was the most beautiful sight Pitch had ever beheld.

The Star Spirit was adorned in a flowing, glistening gown, her hair long, wavy and draping over her shoulders. Her face was round, her skin fair, and exuding a gentle blue aura about her. Her lips were soft and full and her eyes twinkled like the stars in which she lived amidst.

She remained suspended, weightless within the air, her clothes and hair waving gently in a nonexistent breeze. The power of her light extended to every corner of the previously dark and gloomy fortress, bathing every square inch of it in light.

The Wishing Star smiled down upon Pitch's awestruck expression, her long lashes fluttered against her blushing cheeks.

"My father has told me much of you, Pitch Black," she said, her entire countenance as pure and innocent as a child.

"You are a 'self-serving, cold hearted, devious spirit' he said," she informed, folding her hands together in front of her.

"Such potential you once had... and instead you have warped yourself into an agent of evil," she went on, her star-bright eyes dimming with sadness.

Pitch's heart squeezed within his chest, a mixture of guilt, hopelessness and anger roaring within.

"It is not my fault! Your precious father underestimated me! He cast me off to the side, and likewise, so did all of the others! They despised me from the beginning. It was _they_ who inspired my betrayal!" he protested bitterly.

"You and you alone are responsible for your actions, regardless of your excuses to the contrary," the Wishing Star replied, her tone firm, but not unkind. It was the first time Pitch had received any kind of rebuke that did not make him seethe with fury.

In fact, he felt momentarily convicted. Try as he might, he could not deny the truth of her words, and they did sting. Pitch shook his head and pressed on, refusing to think too hard on the subject.

"If that is so, then why are you here?" he questioned hotly. The Wishing Star's firm expression melted into one of softness and she smiled lightly upon him once more.

"Because, I believe everyone deserves a second chance..."

Pitch blinked. That had not been the answer he'd been expecting.

"What is it that you wish for Pitch Black?" The Star inquired sweetly, her kind eyes sparkling down at him. Pitch's mouth went dry and his breath became shallow.

This was it. He truly was about to have a wish granted...

The sheer weight of the moment suddenly crashed down onto Pitch's shoulders. Did he really know what it was he wanted? If he could have any wish he asked for, was he so certain that he could make the best decision?

"You had a certain wish in mind... I believe..." the Wishing Star spoke, shattering through his fretful thoughts. "Why don't you share what it was?"

Pitch looked up and eyed the Star Spirit tiredly. She was right. He could not second guess himself now. After all, what was it he wanted most? To be believed in.

Finally taking the liberty to get off of his knees, Pitch gained his feet and stood before her, brushing his black cloak off and sighing.

"The desire for a human celebration day of my own had briefly crossed my mind," Pitch admitted reluctantly. "A celebration in which humans would revel in my powers and I would have my chance to be believed in."

The Wishing Star was silent for a long moment, her beautiful round face simply looking at him with those eyes of her that seemed to pierce through his very soul.

Pitch waited, uncertain and anxious about what it was the Wishing Star might be thinking...

Then, she unfolded her hands and they began to glow. Slowly, she hovered nearer to him in the air, and Pitch's heart thudded faster within his chest.

"Pitch... I deem your wish granted. Indeed, there is already a human holiday that I believe will suit your purposes," she smiled. "But there are conditions. No granted wish comes without a price..." she warned.

Suddenly wary, Pitch's brows narrowed and he looked upon the Star uncertainly.

"Conditions?" he questioned skeptically.

"Yes. Firstly, you will remain a prisoner within this fortress on all days of the year, except for the one holiday of the year in which you shall be set free to your own devices. This way, it will remain until you prove yourself worthy of being trusted..." she informed softly.

"Prove myself worthy of trust?" Pitch scoffed. "And how exactly am I to accomplish this?" he asked ruefully.

The Wishing Star looked upon him with a serious, and pointed gaze.

"You must solemnly promise me that you will never again seek to overthrow the Guardians or the precious values in which they protect... You must promise that you will use your powers solely for good..."

Pitch could barely refrain the fit of laughter which bubbled up inside of him. Had the Star Spirit gone completely mad? It was a joke! Surely! She could not believe him capable of doing, or being anything _good_. Not after the millennia's in which he had served to do just the opposite!

"Those are my conditions," the Wishing Star stated firmly, her tone direct. "If you do not comply, consider your wish void."

That effectively stole the humor from Pitch's spirits. It seemed he had no other choice.

"Very well," he agreed after a long moment, though inwardly he doubted such a ludicrous promise would be able to stay kept.

"Good. It is finished then," The Wishing Star commanded, "Your wish is granted."

Then, before Pitch was prepared, the Star Spirit began to shrink.

"No wait!" he shouted in protest, "How long must I wait before the day of my freedom comes? I do not even know the holiday in which you speak!"

Though the Wishing Star continued to shrink, the lovely voice did reply, echoing off the walls of the cavern.

"You have only fifteen days left to wait...

... and the day is known as Halloween..."


	3. Chapter 3

Children were EVERYWHERE.

The streets were littered with little ones dressed in ridiculous costumes of all sorts, carrying their baskets full of candy and skipping along the sidewalks from door to door.

Joy was abundant upon each of their runny nosed faces and they continued their festive activities with excitement, completely oblivious to the dark presence among them.

Pitch Black grit his teeth at the fact that not a _single_ child could see him.

How was he supposed to enjoy this one day of freedom, this _Halloween_ day, if no one knew he was around, much less believed in him!?

Standing in the darkest alley corner between a set of vintage homes, Pitch Black began to wonder why he'd even asked for a day of freedom from his dark prison at all. No one could see him, he couldn't do anything that was _his_ idea of fun, nor could he cause the slightest hint of mischief with the Guardians.

This whole situation wasn't fair! Pitch growled out loud, unable to contain his frustrations, and stalked out from the alley and into the wide open streets. The sun was setting, lighting the sky with an orange and yellow aura. Shadows were creeping forward and the street lamps blinked on in anticipation of the coming darkness.

Across the road, a little boy dressed as Peter Pan hid behind a bush and suddenly jumped out at a pair of unsuspecting girls in princess gowns with a loud "BOO!"

Both girls squealed in fright, making Pitch grin in devlish amusement, when quite unexpectedly, the fear on their faces transformed into pure joy and giggles once they saw their attacker.

They... _liked_ to be scared? Pitch frowned in displeasure at the disturbing thought.

...

Elsewhere, a few hours later, Pitch continued his survey of the country's neighborhoods on this gloomy, spooky night. It seemed like children all over the world throughly enjoyed a good scare on this particular holiday.

Under a low branched tree in the midst of a '_haunted_' park, Pitch Black brooded as groups of greedy children in the background devided their candy spoils on the picnic benches and stuffed their faces.

With a huff, Pitch shook his head.

_What am I supposed to do now?_ he grouched.

"You can join the fun..."

"GAAAHHHH!" Pitch shrieked, jumping away from the tree and spinning to face the illuminated form of the Wishing Star who had quite literally appeared out of thin air.

Pitch gulped and settled down from his startled state with a perturbed expression on his face.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Pitch demanded grumpily.

"It pained me to see you weren't enjoying your first free night. I don't like seeing any of my wishes going to waste," the Wishing Star smiled, her eyes shining with pure innocence and sincerity.

Pitch gawked in wonder, momentarily taken back by her reply. Why should she care about him waisting his night? What business was it of hers anyway to-! Well, on second thought he supposed it was her business after all...

"You'll have to wait another whole year before you get another chance at having some fun in your element," the Wishing Star reminded gently, her eyes smiling at him.

Pursing his lips, he glanced back at her skeptically, searching for any sign of dishonesty or hidden intentions. But not a trace of evil could be detected, and soon after he found himself getting distracted by her beautiful features and the graceful curves of her heavenly body. Mentally, Pitch shook his head and refocussed.

"My element?" he scoffed. "This is _far_ from my element. These are happy, smiling faces who laugh at fear and think it a mere _game_!" he hissed.

"And why should it not be? Why should the children not enjoy a little fright here and there? Some handle it better than others... but, as you've already seen, there are many who find a good scare to be a fun source of entertainment," the Wishing Star smiled assuringly, her tone soft and soothing. Pitch stood silent.

"Was this not the case with you once?" she prompted.

Pitch's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"Clearly, this is NOT the same," he argued.

"No- I suppose it's not," Wishing Star sighed, the joy fading from her eyes. When her happiness dimmed, so did the light that radiated from her body. Pitch decided that he didn't like that glum look on her.

With a loud sigh, Pitch spread his arms, grinding his jaw.

"What am I supposed to do?" he asked, his tone nearing desperation. "Just tell me and I will do it," he promised. It was pathetic, falling so low as to want to please a pouting girl. Well, she was a _pretty_ pouting girl. He should at least give her that credit.

But still! What was wrong with him?

However, at Pitch's words, the Wishing Star perked up once more, the light reentering her starry eyes and making it instantly all worth his momentary lapse of sanity.

"You truly mean that?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes," Pitch practically whined. The Wishing Star beamed all the brighter, and suddenly she moved forward to take his hand in hers.

"Good!" she rejoiced. "Follow me," she bade him, leading him gently off towards the crowded picnic benches.

"No- ah- wait," Pitch winced in hesitation, bracing as if he was being led to his doom.

...

The children chattered loudly amidst themselves at the wooden park tables, gorging themselves on candy and laughing at each other as Pitch was led hither by the warm hand of the Wishing Star.

"I don't- they can't- what are we-?" Pitch was protesting, sentences coming out in fragmented pieces. The Wishing Star turned sharply, pressing a single finger suddenly over his lips. It was enough to shock Pitch into silence. Once it was established that Pitch had stopped his whining, she led him to the nearest set of bushes not too far from the children.

"Okay," she said, only then releasing his hand to gently rattle the bushes.

"Now... make a shadow," she instructed. Pitch frowned, unamused. However, he did notice that their disturbance amidst the bushes had begun to turn some of the children's heads from what they were doing.

"What was that?" one of the girls asked timidly, looking over her shoulder.

"What was what?" asked a boy. The Wishing Star smiled and rattled the bushes gently again.

"That!" the same girl exclaimed.

"It's... probably a rabbit or something..." a different boy assured, not sounding quite so convinced of his own claim.

"Go on!" Wishing Star now prompted quietly, making a shooing motion at Pitch with a giddy grin.

This was humiliating. None the less, Pitch rolled his eyes and moved forward to do just as the Wishing Star asked.

He easily morphed a shadow through the darkness, letting it increase in size in an undefinable, but intimidating form...

The children were springing up from the benches now, some staring with wide eyes as the shadow crawled along the floor towards them. Pitch grinned, seeing the worry and concern growing on the kid's faces. Now_,_ _this_ was fun...

"Guuuuuys..." whined one of the boys, stumbling backwards off his bench.

"Get the candy and RUUUuuun!" screamed another heavier set boy, who promptly scooped up his bag of goodies and sprinted away. Pitch chuckled wickedly and just as the whole rest of the table was about to follow the fat boy's lead- Pitch was startled from his task when the Wishing Star placed a hand on his shoulder. The shadow vanished after the break in his concentration, and simultaneously, a raccoon darted from the bushes in which they hid behind. he nocturnal creature ran away into the night.

The children watched as the raccoon ran away and everyone sighed in relief, then began laughing.

"It was only a raccoon!" cried one of the boys, putting on his bravado act and beckoning to his fellow pals who had taken off running moments earlier.

The girls who had also stayed at the table burst out laughing when the friends from their earlier party returned, looking embarrassed and foolish but also starting to laugh.

Pitch felt a grin inching upon his lips but quickly dropped it the moment that he noticed the Wishing Star was watching, smiling rather stupidly at him.

"See?" she said gently. "You don't have to scare them for _real _to have a good time," she grinned.

Pitch grunted noncommittally.

"Where did that raccoon come from?" he asked, deciding to change the subject.

"As the Wishing Star I have a few liberties that I can use to my advantage... though I never use them without good reason," she replied.

"What _kind_ of liberties?" Pitch inquired, his curiosity truly peaked.

"I can customize certain circumstances as I see fit," Wishing Star answered with a small smile and an innocent shrug. Pitch's brows rose up.

No wonder the Man in the Moon kept his precious daughter so well hidden...

"Well... that's very... _convenient_..." Pitch commented, his tone soft as he regarded the Wishing Star with renewed interest. She smiled once more at him then looked off towards the children who had resumed their candy munching.

She was naive, and a bit too soft hearted- but Pitch considered thoughtfully the possibility that something interesting very well could result from their acquaintanceship...

A partnership perhaps? The Guardians would never think twice about disrespecting him again if he had a friend like _her_ on his side...

If he could just get close to the Wishing Star... it might result in her being willing to grant him other wishes? Maybe even wishes concerning the Guardians...?

It was definitely worth a try.


	4. Chapter 4

"I have done all I can for you and now I'm afraid your time for today is up."

Pitch Black turned to fix his dark stare upon the Spirit of the Wishing star, having known this moment would come, but had by no means prepared for it. They had spent the entire day and well into the night frolicking from town to town, overseeing the festivities and sometimes involving themselves quite subtly into them. The time had been so pleasant that Pitch was almost convicted that he'd indeed had _fun_. But alas, good days always came to an end.

Now they walked along a large bridge extending over the San Francisco Bay. Cars flew by just behind them obliviously, and the night wind whipped at Pitch's hair and robes.

The Wishing Star hovered near to him, a sad, startlingly sincere smile painted upon her fair lips.

"I understand," he responded slowly, turning his eyes away from the shimmering waters below. The reality of being imprisoned within his Nightmare fortress for another whole year crashed hard upon him. It was so easy to forget what being shackled felt like after one had been set free from them. The mere thought of returning to the fear infested halls of his underground cage caused a shiver up his spine, shortly followed by a spark of burning resentment within his chest.

It was hard for his heart to accept that he was about to willing submit to the Wishing Star's conditions, but too much was at stake. He could not risk loosing favor with the inexplicably talented daughter of the Man in the Moon, and these conditions were far more merciful than what they could have been.

Despite his current feelings to the contrary, a year would not be _that_ long of a wait.

Being immortal tended to instill one with a much less severe concept of time. Patience was just another lesson that Pitch had learned throughout the hundreds of years of his existence. He'd become quite good at biding his time and waiting for the perfect opportunities. And the same would be required of him now.

Extracting himself from his thoughts, Pitch suddenly flashed a very white, winning smile towards the Wishing Star. Her bleak expression evaporated into a smile with a potency to match his own.

"I thank you, Wishing Star," Pitch said, keeping his voice soft and velvety. "Your efforts on my behalf have ..._touched_ me exceedingly."

Pitch's insides clenched in utter disgust at his own words, even as the skillfully feigned sentiments leaked out through his teeth. Under normal circumstances, Pitch would rather be trampled beneath a stampede of Nightmare's hooves and die before making such an admission, but for the sake of his agenda, there it was.

And never had any words of his, lies, or truths, ever drawn such an expression of gratitude from another.

The Wishing Star beamed with a new intensity, her skin glowing radiantly as whips of light exuded from her angelic being. Her large sapphire eyes spoke volumes as she flitted nearer to him.

"It overjoys me to hear so," she replied, her own tone of voice as sweet as a child's. When she suddenly extended a small hand out to set upon his arm, Pitch stiffened, not knowing what she was up to.

But then, a blinding light flashed around them, causing Pitch to slam his eyes shut and protect his face with his arms. Taken utterly off guard, Pitch thought for certain his end had come. The Wishing Star had seen into his trick! She was destroying him now! He was an idiot for thinking he could fool-!

Then, the light was gone, and her hold on his arm receded. Pitch, breathing raggedly, dared to squint one eye open. He found they were now standing in the woods, just before the deep, dark hole in the ground that led down into his territory.

She had teleported them. Teleported! Just like North's magical slow globe portals, the Wishing Star had a similar power all of her own! Remarkable! Pitch quickly recomposed himself, steadying his breathing and putting on an expression of indifference. He brushed off his robe as if nothing had happened and cleared his throat.

"Well, I imagine you must be off. Wouldn't want _daddy_ to worry, would we? What would he say, seeing you spent the day with one such of the likes as _me?" _Pitch had to chuckle cruelly at the notion. The Man in the Moon would no doubt be furious, and there would be nothing Pitch would enjoy better!

"I'm not going to tell my father..."

Pitch blinked, swinging around to stare in shock at the Wishing Star. She clasped her hands in front of her with her eyes lowered and shoulders hunched guiltily.

"I... I don't think he would be pleased that I've helped you the way that I have. He may believe that you've tricked me in some way, or given me a false taste of your character and thus lured me into a trap of some sort. But I'm not a child. I've been around for hundreds of years. I'm not as naive as he thinks I am," she sighed.

Pitch swallowed.

"No indeed," he replied at last, looking her up and down carefully.

"I've had fun tonight, Pitch. I know you are a bit rough around the edges... and... well... rather dark and dreary. And you may not have the right idea about the world or your place in it... but I can't deny I've enjoyed spending time with you," the Wishing Star confessed, a shy blush creeping onto her glowing cheeks.

The tightness was returning to coil in Pitch's stomach.

"I'd always wondered what you were like. The infamous Pitch Black. My father always warned me about you. And I just wanted to say, I'm happy to have met you in person at last," the Star finished, fidgeting with her fingers and then running her hands down the front of her gown to smooth the folds.

Well... this was most disturbingly awkward. A momentary lapse of silence followed, where Pitch tried desperately to think of how to respond. He was usually quick with words, but they came easier when you were being snarky and insincere. It was infinitely more difficult to come up with something _nice_ to say...

Eventually, he settled with,

"I was glad to have met you as well."

Then...

"It is my hope this will not be the last of our encounters. Is it too impertinent of me to ask of when I shall see you again?"

There! It was out. Hopefully from this point forward, lying to the lovely Star would come much easier. He'd never had a problem backstabbing other immortals before... Why should _she_ be any different?

The Wishing Star giggled lightly, finding something amusing. Just _what_ Pitch couldn't fathom.

"Well... When I see you no longer intend to be any kind of threat to the Guardians, and have indeed learned this very important lesson about reformation and mending your ways, then I shall alter the circumstances of your sentence and we can talk about them then..." she explained lightly.

"That might be a rather long time away I'm afraid," Pitch commented with a cocked brow. He was going for charm, but he thought he sounded more hopeless than anything.

"If I see that you require my visits... then I will come. But in the meantime, I do have other duties to attend to. You are not the only one who has spied me out from the heavens," she smiled.

Pitch heaved a sigh.

"Very well. I shall simply have to suffer through your absence."

Another giggle came from the Star and Pitch was feeling quite confident that flattery was the way to go with this innocent little spirit. Clearly, she was not accustomed to being flattered by anyone, and the feelings it would stir inside her would be new and exciting. He just hoped his efforts would ultimately lead to his goal and not... well... something he was _not_ prepared for.

"Farewell Pitch. Be _good_ now..." The Wishing Star said softly, bowing her head respectfully to him before her glorious form shimmered away, vanishing into the night.

Pitch stood a moment out in the chill of the woods. Then, he headed down into his black hole. The hole he would inhabit for yet another year before his plans could continue...

...

A year passed. It was long, and grueling, but it passed at last.

Pitch was once again feeling the full weight of weariness from being tirelessly pursued by his Nightmares but something deep inside him had changed. Now, he did not just run. He fought back.

Throughout his time in his fortress, Pitch tirelessly sought how he could destroy the beastly creatures once and for all. Thus far, each of his attempts had proven futile, defeating them momentarily only to have them come back in more numbers. But he still believed their ultimate defeat was possible. He had just to discover how...

When he was not concerning himself with how to bring his tormenters to their final demise, Pitch had been going over careful calculations to his plans for winning the Wishing Star over to his side.

He could not win her over from afar, for there was no guarantee how often her gaze from the stars was actually upon him. As she'd already stated, she did have other wishers to preform her duties for...

Somehow, Pitch needed to draw her from her perch amidst the galaxies and inspire her to want to spend further time helping him than was absolutely necessary.

Often, he wondered if she could hear him, when he spoke quiet nothings to her out into the night. He never said anything of serious consequence, but rather only acknowledged her presence every once and a while.

Now the day had come. The sun had risen on October the 31st and now Pitch was free. He escaped his dreaded black hole and raced into the openness of the forest about him, becoming a smoothly traveling shadow upon the ground.

Enjoying the wind and all the sensations of freedom, Pitch roamed the country sides leisurely, fully embracing the calm morning for what it was.

After Pitch had taken time to breathe in the fresh air, he made for the nearest town and passed by the elementary school. Children littered the playground yard, playing soccer on the fields and climbing all over the jungle gyms. A large majority of the children were each wearing costumes in typical Halloween tradition.

It was while Pitch Black stood upon the school buildings roof, over looking the play field that the sudden sight of a familiar boy caught his eye.

Pitch ground his teeth. It was the one called _Jamie_...

Dressed as Spiderman, the young boy was hanging upside down from his knees on the soccer goal post pretending to spray webbing from his wrists, much to the laughing amusement of his friends. Indeed... the entire group of children were those Pitch recalled with perfect clarity.

A low growl escaped Pitch's throat and his dark form seeped into a shadow, stretching across the floor of the roof, down the large building and into the populated play yard.

It'd been too long since Pitch had payed Jamie and his clan of troublemakers a proper visit ... Why, it would be rude to pass up such an opportunity when it had so obviously presented itself.


	5. Chapter 5

Jamie and his friends continued to goof around exuberantly, completely oblivious to the danger lurking towards them.

As Pitch crept slowly closer and closer, his excitement grew.

Oh, he would certainly enjoy this little prank. He'd be sure to give these children a scare they'd never forget.

Then...

A sudden gust of wind, an unnatural puff of snowflaked fractils, and the sound of ice shooting through the air, and Pitch Black knew he was no longer alone.

Why, a certain _Guardian_ was on the scene! How delightful.

Ice stained the patches of grass where Pitch's shadow traversed, and he felt the shock of the cold against him, but it did not detain him. No, he merely laughed and continued to race along the grassy field until he reached the darkness against one of the school's play yard sheds.

He felt rather then saw his pursuer dart swiftly up behind him. Pitch melted away again, only to reappear on the roof of the shed and chuckle maliciously down at the sight of the newest Gaurdian.

"Well, well. Jack _Frost_. It's been awhile," Pitch smirked in spiteful satisfaction. "How's Guardian life treating you? Have you grown weary of being a team player yet?"

Jack Frost's silver brows dipped down angrily, his haunting crystal-blue eyes spewing pure hatred up at the Dark Spirit. Jack stood, crouched at the knees and poised for a fight, his staff held tightly with both hands in a white knuckled grip.

"How did you escape your hole Pitch?" he demanded hotly.

"You didn't think I'd be able to find my way out of a little pit?" Pitch sneered.

"The nightmares, they should be hunting you. They'll always hunt you," Jack spat back.

"Not today," Pitch declared with a wicked grin. "In fact, I'm free to move about wherever, doing _whatever_ I wish," he informed snidely, his pointed teeth bared challengingly. "It's part of an arrangement that I've been fortunate enough to make..."

"An arrangment with who? The nightmares?!" Jack snorted in disbelief, shooting a sudden set of icy spikes from his wooden staff without warning. Pitch's eyes widened but he managed to dodge in time before narrowing a highly displeased glance down at the young spirit. Why, if he was not bound by the promise he'd made to the Wishing Star that prevented him from attacking the Garudians, Pitch would have beat the little snow man senseless. As it was, Pitch was struggling to refrain from retaliating.

Instead, he seeped back into a shadow and moved along the wall of the shed, rounding the corner out of Jack's sight. Jack glanced about warily, staying on guard.

"Of course not the _nightmares_," Pitch snapped, his voice traveling in a deadly hiss. "I have powerful connections of my own which you, young _Guardian, _clearly has no knowledge of. By given right, I am free this day to roam about as I wish, and yet it is only for this day of the year. And I will not have you ruin it for me now! So if you excuse me, I believe I owe a certain few little imps a proper scare..."

"You won't harm Jamie or his friends!" Jack shouted.

"My dear Jack, who said anything about _harming_ them?" Pitch returned with great amusement. Only then was his shadow seen racing back onto the field where Jamie was playing. Jack pursued quickly, sprinting and letting the wind barrel him forward faster towards his enemy.

"Jamie! Look out!" Jack shouted desperately, but his cry was unnecessary for the recess bell suddenly errupted across the school yard, and children everywhere ceased their play and darted away for class.

"No!" Pitch cried in frustration as his prey slipped away beyond his grasp. Clenching his fist, Pitch reminded himself that he had the whole rest of the day to frighten the children responsible for his defeat. Still, he was disgusted with Jack's interference. Turning, he arose from his shadowy form and glared darkly at the Guardian.

"Shouldn't you be off causing a blizzard somewhere?!" He snarled, fed up with always being put at a disadvantage.

"I think there's a natural disaster needing my attention right _here_," Jack fired back.

Pitch growled low in his throat. To the **_PIT_** with the Gaurdians and his stupid promise not to harm them! What was freedom _worth_ if he couldn't cram dirt down the young Frost Spirit's throat whenever he wanted?!

"Oh, you've seen nothing of a disaster. Not _yet_..." Pitch hissed menacingly, altering his size until he loomed over the silver haired boy, standing over twice his height with the aid of darkness.

With the wave of his hand, Pitch summoned to him a massive axe made of shadow dust, grasping its hilt and donning a sinister smile of fiendish delight.

Without warning, Pitch swept the weapon in a swift sideways arch towards Jack. Frost was able to duck out of the way, though at the expense of some sliced pieces of hair.

The Guardian retaliated with two quick ice blasts from his wooden staff, which Pitch combated, shattering the icey shards clean through with two precise slashes of his axe.

"Who'd you make a deal with Pitch?! Who let you free?!" Jack demanded, firing anther volley of shots.

Pitch Black dodged and cut through each attack with enthusiasm. It'd been far too long since his last _real_ fight, and oh, how often he had dreamed of this moment... This moment where he would reface the infamous Jack Frost and make the boy beg for mercy.

"Oh, wouldn't you just _love_ to know!" Pitch cried back tauntingly, leaping forward and swinging his axe from side to side with daunting speed. Jack scrambled to retreat in time, grasping at the wind tide to snatch him backwards, narrowly avoiding the deadly blade's razor edge.

For the briefest of moments, Jack's eyes flickered with fear. The glimpse was enough to send a surge of satisfaction through Pitch's black heart.

"None of your fellow Guardians are here to save you _now_... little man," Pitch sneered, continuing his advance with large, leaping strides.

Then, just as Pitch was about to bring down another slash of his axe, a blinding light encaptured Pitch's being, in a beam so intense that Pitch could feel his skin smoldering.

And with the light, came a familiar voice. A familiar, but _fierce_ voice...

"PITCH BLACK!"

Pitch's axe dissolved into nothingness right out of his hand, and the ray of fiery light cast upon him was so brilliant that Pitch through himself instantly to his knees, seeking to cover his face as best he could beneath his black cloak.

Jack Frost looked up, his body frozen in place, and stared in absolute awe at the shining figure decending from above. She was the most beautiful and frightening creature Frost had ever laid his eyes upon. With her dazzelingly bluish-white robes, long streaming hair billowing in the wind, and her deep sapphire eyes blazing with fury, she circled the air to land a few yards off from where Pitch had fallen crumpled to the grass floor.

Pitch continued to lie prostrate, his fist grasping and strands of grass as he thought hard about what he was going to do next. Clearly... he was in trouble.

"You have broken your agreement with me, Pitch. How could you?"

The Wishing Star's dainty feet came to rest upon the school yard ground, and she strode forward slowly, Pitch only daring to catch faint, tentative glimpses of her.

"I know..." Pitch said softly, unsure how he truly felt about that at the moment. One thing was certain. He was not experiencing any _guilt_. Not yet anyway.

"I trusted you Pitch. You told me you would not forsake thie opportunity of a second chance... A second chance I gave you, trusting that your words were true..." The Wishing Star breathed, her voice a faint broken whisper, her sorrowful gaze conveying the dissapointment in which she felt. The light that permated around her, dimmed in likeness to the fall of her spirits.

Carefully, Pitch arose, no longer needing to shield his eyes, and took a very deep breath. He needed to think, and think hard. He only had once chance to make a permissible first reply.

He could not waste it...


	6. Chapter 6

Pitch Black was always one to seize the moment.

"I acted purely out of self defense," he blurted.

The Wishing Star's expression of anger and hurt faltered.

"I came here with the sole intention of playing with the children, and I explained as much. Yet Frost still saw fit to attack me," Pitch explained, calming his voice. "I regret my lack of restraint, but I am not yet skilled at controlling my actions under intense pressure," he spoke, managing to temper his tone with the perfect amount of humility, however insincere he truly was.

For the most part he _was_ being honest_. _Granted, it was all from his twisted point of view... Yet despite the fact that he was having to feign any actual regret on his part, his acting performance seemed to have the effect he'd been hoping for.

The Wishing Star frowned in uncertainty, her sapphire gaze flickering from Pitch and then over to Jack Frost.

"Is this true?" she questioned, narrowing her gaze at the Frost Spirit. Pitch couldn't help but inwardly chuckle as Frost floundered for a reply, his mouth flapping open and closed like a fish out of water.

"I would have expected better from you, Jack Frost," the Wishing Star stated, her expression of disappointment now aimed towards the young Guardian. Pitch struggled to hide his great amusement.

"What?!" Jack blasted. "I didn't- you weren't even- I don't even _know_ you!" he stuttered. Pitch pressed his lips together in a thin line to keep from grinning outright.

"Oh Jack," the Wishing Star said, her voice suddenly soft and distant. "You did, once."

This made Pitch blink in surprise.

Jack's silver brows dipped down in confusion.

"Then why don't I remember you?" he questioned defensively.

"Of course you wouldn't remember me. That was your wish... to forget your past..." The Wishing Star continued, now turning to face the Guardian fully. Jack Frost's eyes lit with alarm.

"What?"

"Some hundreds of years ago, you found me in the night sky, and I came down. You told me how the pain of being separated from your loved ones was too much... How you wished more than anything that you could somehow forget that you had ever once been one of them..."

Even as the Wishing Star spoke, Frost backed slowly away, realization and horror painting his pale face.

"Thats... why I couldn't remember... that's why for all those years I never knew who I was..." Jack breathed out.

"Your heart broke each time you found someone you knew and loved, only for them to look straight through you, never aware that you were right there..." the Wishing Star continued softly. "You were in so much pain, I could hardly bare to see your spirit so destroyed. And so I deemed your wish worthy of being granted."

Jack swallowed thickly.

"All those years of being alone... all that time of wondering if someone ever loved me... and I was the one to put myself through that misery..." he murmured. Pitch watched as Jack Frost backed more and more away, shaking his head slowly before turning to sprint and jump into the air, flying away with the wind.

When the Frost Spirit was gone, the Wishing Star turned her gaze back to Pitch Black.

"Considering the circumstances, I have decided to overlook your failure to uphold your promise... just this once," she said. Her words lifted a large weight of worry from off of Pitch's shoulders.

"Thank you," he replied earnestly. "I swear I shall endeavor to do better."

"It is my deepest hope that you truly mean what you say," the Wishing Star responded softly, her eyes twinkling in hopefulness.

Now it was Pitch's turn to swallow. Here this beautiful imortal was, hoping beyond all reason to find some good in him. And he had almost lost his understanding with this powerful entity, all because he couldn't control his temper when goaded. But just because he had narrowly avoided catastrophe, did not mean he was about to over look the lesson which he could learn from his mistake. He would certainly just have to do better at reining in his anger.

"What can I do to prove myself to you?" Pitch inquired, taking a tactfull step closer towards her. The Wishing Star regarded him for a long moment in silence, her beautiful long hair blowing over her shoulders in the faint wind. Her lips opened slightly, blue eyes riveted to his own as he approached to stand a little more than a few inches away from her. His nearness unsettled her, he could tell. But she did not back away, and instead gazed up at him in wonder. With her feet resting on the ground, Pitch stood at least a head taller than she. It was an empowering feeling to tower over the ones around you, but Pitch was utlizing his size for a different sort of advantage this time.

"Come now. You must have _some_ idea in mind," Pitch purred smoothly, coming into intimate proximity with her lovely face.

"Pitch..." she said, her tone boardering on a warning.

"Not everyone gets the honorable privilege of having a wish granted. The least I can do is try to repay you for what you've done... for what you're still doing. Interceding on my behalf. No one has ever done so for me before," Pitch murmured. And it was true. He had never had anyone come to his aid in opposition with a Guardian. Nor did he know a single sole who had actully wanted to spend an entire day in his company, as she had.

"My father..." she began, but Pitch shushed her gently with a grin and a finger pressed against her soft lips.

"He doesn't have to know... " Pitch reminded deviously. The Wishing Star turned her head aside.

"I'm not supposed to have favoritism towards any man or immortal," she replied steadily.

"Stay with me for the day. That's all I ask. And then you can see for yourself what a _good_ boy I intend to be," Pitch offered charmingly.

"I shouldn't," Star whispered.

"Which is why you should..." Pitch grinned, reaching down to extend his hand welcomingly out towards hers. "Everyone needs a day of freedom..." he beckoned.

The Wishing Star hesitated, looking down at his open hand. Then, after a long, tense moment of deliberation, she slowly slid her hand into his, her skin warm against his cold, dark palm. Pitch grinned in celebration of his hard earned victory. He'd gotten her.

Now she was _his_...


	7. Chapter 7

The holiday season was speedily nearing. October had just ended, and thus Thanksgiving was on its way. That meant that the Pole was officially in its full fledged flurry of Christmas preparations and everyone in the toy factory was to work twice as hard as usual. This resulted in twice the noise and twice the chaos.

In short, the Pole was the very definition of a mad house.

Yetis were everywhere, transporting boxes, working at assembly lines, fighting with elves over tools. Jack Frost himself could scarcely take a step without almost kicking a scurrying elf or having to avoid the ribbons, bows and small toy accessories scattered on the floor. Above ground, toy planes motored in the air, causing Jack to have to duck to avoid getting smacked in the face. Kites fluttered and frisbees flew, balls bounced, toy trains whistled their horns, teady bears were stuffed and baby dolls were crying. And in the background of this all, Christmas music was playing through the speakers throughout the toy factory accompanied by one loud, unmistakablely jolly voice singing along.

"North!" Jack Frost shouted, eyes searching frantically for the orchastrator of this craziness. The lone, boisterous singing seemed to be coming from above, blasting outside of North's main office. Jack quickly changed course for the nearest stair case and ascended them with a limited amount of elf casualties. Once standing in the threshold of the open double doors to North's office, Jack shouted so his voice could be heard over the record playing "Holly Jolly Christmas".

"North!"

The massive, jolly, singing man spun about in his work chair, wheeling it around to blink and spread his arms wide with a jubilant smile on his rosey cheeked face.

"JACK!" he bellowed gleefully in his deep Russian accent. "It's been too long, boy! Why you not come visit sooner?!"

Jack's eyes widened and instinctively braced as his large friend suddenly lunged up from his chair and barraled across the room to arrest the smaller gaurdian in a bone crushing hug.

"North- ack- can't- _breathe_!" Jack gasped out.

"Ahaha!" North's booming laughter filled Jack's ears, and for a precious moment, Jack felt the heaviness in his heart fade away. He hadn't been feeling the same since his encounter with Pitch Black and the Wishing Star. Seeing them was actually the reason Jack had come to find North during this busy season of the year...

Finally, North released Jack from his embrace, leaving the younger immortal lightheaded, and stumbling backwards before regaining his balance.

"It's good to see you too North," Jack said. But the music was too loud and North only cocked his head in confusion.

"WHAT?!"

"I SAID, it's good to see you too!" Jack shouted back.

"YOU HAVE A WOODEN SHOE?!"

Jack snorted and shook his head.

"WAIT WAIT WAIT!" North interjected, putting up his hands before turning to signal to an elf on his desk to turn off the record player. The elf kicked off the needle before flopping over and nibbling on a cookie. Peaceful silence fell over the room, Jack sighed in relief.

"There! That's better!" North chuckled.

"You're blasting Christmas music and it's not even Thanksgiving," Jack grinned in amusement.

"It's always Christmas here at the Pole!" North rebutted with a laugh. "So what brings you here, Jack Frost?"

Jack swallowed, and his expression turned serious.

"We need to gather the Guardians. Something has happened and you all need to know..."

North's brilliant blue eyes dimmed and his white fluffy brows turned down in concern.

"Of course Jack."

...

In as little as fifteen minutes later, North, Bunnymund, Sandy and the Tooth Fairy were all gathered in the common room around the Globe. Elves were still jingling around in their little bell hats, carting around vast amounts of toys and creating an over all mess as they went about trying to preform their tasks.

Two Yetis had approached North and were grunting and motioning in their strange way about something or another while North did his best to appease and redirect them.

Finally, the group could wait no longer with all these inturruptions, and the Easter Bunny was the first to ask what was on everyone else's mind.

"Oy, what's this all about now, North?" Bunnymund demanded, arms folded and ears pricked forward alertly. North waved away the two persistant Yetis to turn and give his attention to the group. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth wide to answer, but that was when Jack appeared on scene, having discended from one of the open windows.

"Actually, I called you all here," He swung down, his hooked wooden staff in hand and landed quietly on the stone floor to pace around the globe and greet everyone. In his other hand, he held the small tooth container, which contained his baby teeth.

"You?" Bunnymund quirked his nose and looked perplexed.

"Jack, what's wrong? Has something happened?" Tooth asked, fluttering over to him and ringing her hands. Sandy too hovered forward with a sand formed question mark hovering above his head.

"It's Pitch," Jack sighed, looking carefully at each of his fellow guardians. "He's made some sort of alliance with another immortal being that has given him free reign on every October 31st of the year."

"How can this be?" North breathed.

"That's just down ri-o-ght wrong, mate!" Bunnymund stomped.

"Who is this other imortal who is helping Pitch?" Tooth inquired.

"That's the worst part of all..." Jack swallowed, clutching the tiny vessel that held his baby teeth tighter. "I've met her before, only I forgot. She is the Wishing Star."

North's eyes widened and Bunnymund's ears flattened, while Tooth exchanged a nervous glance with Sandy. Jack pursed his lips and closed his eyes.

"It took some searching through my memories... but I finally found the moment I was looking for," he explained softly. He opened his eyes when he felt Tooth's soft hand on his shoulder.

"What moment were you looking for Jack?" she asked.

"The moment I contacted the Wishing Star in order to wish my memories away," Jack answered solumnly.

"Wait... why would you do that?" Bunnymund inquired, confused. Jack sighed.

"So that I would no longer feel the pain of being separated from my loved ones," he answered. "I was alone, and I was mad, and hurting and... I wanted an escape from all of my torment. I guess, I thought not remembering where I came from would be a better alternative than knowing I could never be with those I cared about."

"Oh Jack..." Tooth comforted. "It's ok..."

Jack shook his head. Sure he felt some stupidity for putting himself through hundreds of years of needless wondering, but that wasn't the pressing issue here.

"I'm fine. I didn't gather you all just to hear my own sob story. I called you guys because Pitch is up to something... and it's _not_ good. I fear he's planning to manipulate the Wishing Star and use her powers against us somehow. I overheard some of their talk and she said something about how he'd wanted a second chance and how she'd trusted him but he'd let her down. I left before I heard anymore, but I can tell this doesn't bode well."

North cleared his throat.

"Well, Wishing Star is daughter of Man in Moon," he announced. "And Pitch Black would not get away with anything as far as she is concerned. Manny is _very_ protective of her."

"Which is why I **know** Pitch is up to something bad," Jack argued. "He would never get involved with the Man in the Moon's own daughter if he didn't have something disasterous in the works."

"I gotta say, I'm with Frosty on this one, mate," Bunnymund spoke up. "Pitch is definitely up to no good and I for one want to be two step ahead of the boogy man."

Sandy nodded vigorously and Tooth fluttered here and there, looking quite anxious.

"I say we should start monitering his pit, and keep very close tabs on him whenever he emerges," Jack suggested.

"And sacrifice time away from our duties? Why not just barge in and demand some answers? That's clearly the better way to go here," Bunnymund objected, spreading his paws as if the choice was obvious.

"Should we not consult Man in Moon about this first?" North opposed.

"Guys?" Tooth suddenly interjected, lifting a slim, timid hand. "I hate to be the only one to say this, but... what if Pitch really _is_ trying to change? What if he really does want a second chance...?"

The question hung in the air between all of them and for a sparce moment the Guardians considered this. Then North laughed, loud and long and hard, soon to be followed by Bunnymund's hooting and a silent, yet thoroughly amused Sandy.

Jack just smiled sympathetically towards Tooth.

"Look Tooth, I love that you always think the best of people, but let's face it. Pitch Black is the last entity on earth who would _ever_ change his ways."


	8. Chapter 8

_What a successful turn of events, _Pitch Black decided as he paced down the stairs of his dark lair, with his arms folded contentedly behind his back.

Pitch could not help being quite pleased with himself and his spectacular efforts. Even if he only had 24 hours in which to deal as much damage as he could for that year, he'd certainly not wasted a single moment. After all, when it came down to it, drawing the Wishing Star's innocent mind that much closer to the darkness was absolutely essential for Pitch's intricate plan.

The moment the precious Star had taken ahold of his hand, Pitch had experienced such confidence; such wicked glee. It was satisfaction that he had not gotten to taste for a _very_ long time. Why, he'd almost forgotten its sultry flavor. For in that moment, the Wishing Star had unknowingly fallen prey to the dark intentions of Pitch's black soul. She had unconciously taken her first step towards her own transformation, and subsequently towards her own doom.

That day- that 31st of October- the very daughter of the Man in the moon had _willingly_ put her fate into his hands. The Wishing Star truly trusted him, to whatever small degree, and in turn, Pitch had done everything in his power to reward her for it.

They had traveled all over the world that Halloween, and Pitch showed her just how charming he could be during their explorations. Their adventure led them through Europe, where memories of the Dark Ages still cheered Pitch's mind to recall, and through the eastern world, where they witnessed every form of Halloween celebration. They traversed through the castles and brick streets of old, and through the modern cities where lights flashed and cars full of impatient drivers honked.

Lastly, they entered the vast, open landscapes of the wilderness, where Pitch and Star had ceased their travels to stop atop a tall, cold mountain peak to soak in the life of the night. It was then, while the Wishing Star gazed up into the sky so sweetly, looking so inviting and so vulnerable, that Pitch knew it was time to step up his game. It was time to _talk_.

"I'd say this is quite a grand view, but you might feel it is all rather ordinary being that you are already intimately acquainted with it," Pitch began casually.

"Too acquainted," The Wishing Star murmured in agreement. "And yet... it somehow never grows old. The beauty of it all... it's entirely captivating," she sighed thoughtfully.

"Hmm, I find it lacking actually," Pitch stated. Star's eyes widend as they flickered over to him in mild surprise.

"Truly?"

"Well, you see, this pretty picture just isn't complete without its crowning jewel. And right now the most captivating star is currently missing from the masterpiece because she's standing right here with me," Pitch grinned, keeping his gaze aloft towards the sky and relishing in how he knew the Wishing Star was staring at him in astonished wonder. At first, Pitch had been mildly concerned that his lack of practice in the art of maintaining 'civil' conversation would be his own miserable downfall, but his tongue was working rather smoothly this night.

"Pitch, you can be such a tallented flatterer when you want to be," Star said, shaking her head, her beautiful locks falling perfectly about her face. "But flattery won't get you what you want from me." At this, Pitch quirked a brow and turned to look at her in amusement.

"Its adorable how you think you know just what it is that I want," he remarked with a wry grin.

"Oh but I do," Star assured, "It's one of my special gifts. I always know people's most precious wishes," she explained, now facing him fully where he stood.

Pitch stiffened, alarm tightening his chest and restricting his throat. And in that moment, he feared it was over. It was all over. How long had she known he was plotting vengeance against her father? And if she had, why was she playing along? Was this all some cruel scheme?! THE MAN IN THE MOON WAS UNDOUBTABLY BEHIND THIS!

"Do you want to know what it is?" Star asked, taking a tentative step towards him. Pitch hastily recoiled, backstepping.

"I don't need to hear it," he strained, fisting his hands stubbornly. Whatever fight she wanted, she'd get it if she pushed him.

"I think you do. It's best to have it out between us now," the Wishing Star replied gently, her blue eyes glistening up at him. Pitch opened his mouth to retort but no words escaped past his jagged teeth. Her gaze was intensely bright, but nothing in it was to be feared. Slowly, the Wishing Star reached out a hand, and tenderly clasped his. When Pitch did not retaliate, the star's essance began to glow in an angelical blue light and she smiled.

"Pitch... your greatest wish is to not be alone..."

_WHAT?!_

Pitch's mind whirled. That... was not...

no...

_No_.

**NO!**

It couldn't be!

Pitch found himself reeling from the horror. Of all his greatest desires, not being alone was his biggest concern?! What about revenge!? What about justice!? What about getting the respect he deserved!?

Shaking his head, Pitch curled his lips and laughed. Wasn't this just poetic? What a twist of irony to bring to the fold! His own heart he could not trust for the life of him! Why, a revelation such as this was nothing short of shameful! And here the Wishing Star was, regarding him closely, her beautiful face the perfect expression of sincerity. There was no possibility that she was lying and Pitch pondered what it was that he should say and do now.

It seemed he was temporarily safe from his plot being discovered by her, but this new bit of information was not going to help matters. Or ... _was_ it?

"Pitch..." The Wishing Star said, her brows arched in concern, "Why do you laugh?"

Smothering the last of his rueful chuckles, an idea suddenly lit the filthy insides of Pitch Black's murky mind, and without hesitation, he acted to execute it. Taking her hand fully in his own, Pitch sighed.

"You have indeed, my darling Star, found me out," Pitch confessed, almost mournfully. "I was hoping after centuries of practice, that I was not such an open book."

"Never fear, there is still much about you that mystifies me... " the star replied. "But this I see very clearly. Yet, Pitch... I cannot be the one to banish your loneliness. It is not my destiny."

"Nonsence," Pitch objected, his grip on her hand increasing passionately, "Your presence has already done so for me. Now that you are in my life, I am certain my dream can be fulfilled."

The Wishing Star turned her face away.

"Pitch, you do not understand. My father has given me a destiny, and you and I- our paths were never supposed to cross. I cannot deviate any further from my course than I already have."

"And here I was, believing all this time that ones path is that which they choose for themselves. What right does your father have in containing you to one destiny, when you could explore so many others?" Pitch inquired, tilting his head and watching the Wishing spirit with attentive, golden eyes.

"You, my Star, may have the power of insight to one's greatest wishes, but I was given the gift of knowing people's deepest fears. And yours is as plain to me as I see you now," Pitch went on, leaning ever closer towards her. The Wishing Star braced, looking for the first time caught off guard. Pitch tactfully calmed his advance, so as to not scare her _too_ much.

"You fear that no one will ever value you for who _you_ are. Your heart weeps at the idea that you will only ever be used for your powers, and no one will ever care for the true you."

The Wishing Star's brilliant sapphire eyes enlarged, and in them Pitch could see the glimmer of unshed tears. The truth was never pretty- as he had discovered not just moments ago- but it sure was working to Pitch's advantage right about now.

"There there," Pitch cooed, lifting a slim finger to carress her smooth cheek. "This shall not be the case. Not with _me._"

The Wishing Star closed her eyes and a shimmering tear escaped from behind the curtain of her thick lashes.

"We have found eachother, you and I," Pitch whispered, his breath a soft tickle against her face. "And though it may not have been as your _daddy_ had planned, it seems to me that it has been for our best after all... Would you not agree?"

"My father... " The Wishing Star sniffed, now opening her watery eyes to look back at him. "If he knew..."

"If he knew, he would do everything in his abilities to separate us. I know. He has delt with me similarly in the past. The moment things don't go his way, he will do whatever he can to _correct_ them- even if it costs others their free will," Pitch ground out past clenched teeth.

Star looked down, uncertain but unable to deny him.

"Don't you see?" Pitch pressed, "If you and I are to be together, we must work with one another to make things _right_. But to do this, we will need to break a few rules... and this will make us enemies to the Man in the Moon and all he stands for. Are you prepared for that...? Are you ready to finally make your own decisions?"

A long, tension filled silence stretched on while the Wishing Star deliberated. Pitch felt as if he was standing on pins and needles. Everything depended upon how she answered. If she backed out... what then? Well, he was back to square one, wasn't he?

Then...

"I need more time," the star breathed. "I would like to consider this in depth for a while."

Pitch allowed himself to take the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Of course, my darling," Pitch replied easily. "My time today is nearly up as it is. I shall return to the pit, and wait until you contact me."

The Wishing Star nodded thankfully, now releasing his hand and stepping back. She seemed reluctant to go, which was a good sign, and Pitch smiled gently in reassurence at her. She stared back, but didn't return the smile before she had vanished completely in a blue flash.

Now, as Pitch descended into his pit of darkness, reflecting on these events, he discovered he was not plauged with the anxiety he usually suffered at the prospect of another whole year of waiting before the next Halloween day. Instead, he entertained the hope that the Wishing Star would return to him before then...

And he was almost certain that her answer would be of glad tidings to his ears.


	9. Chapter 9

The days passed into weeks, and the weeks into months. Six months, to be exact. And with each setting sun, a bit of Pitch Black's confidence was chipped away.

The Wishing Star had still not come to him.

He had been so sure she would by now. They'd shared a powerful moment together, one of unity and single-mindedness. They both wanted freedom, didn't they? What was holding her back?

There was the disconcerting possibility that Man in Moon had discovered them and was now exercising his authority over his daughter, preventing her from escape. If this was indeed the case, then all of Pitch Black's restless nights of plotting and hoping were for naught. But then, there was also the chance that the Wishing Star simply didn't have the back bone to stand against her father and follow a different path. Perhaps she was ashamed to admit so?

Patience melted away into restless unease. The darkness of Pitch Black's prison cavern seemed to intensify with the increasing doubt that oppressed his mind. His nights were no longer spent in relaxed sleep, but instead, they were paced away by Pitch's endless roaming to and fro from one end of the cave to the other.

What was even the use of hoping that fate would treat him kindly for once in his life? Was he really so foolish as to still try and hold on to this last shred of light, when every day, it grew more dim?

With thoughts like these, it wasn't long before the nightmares returned to plague him. And they were more relentless than ever. Pitch Black almost welcomed the challenge they presented. He needed something to _do_ instead of sitting around to sulk. Fighting off the black, terrible beasts was a pass time in which at least busied him from his fearful thoughts. Even if they were, in fact, the very fearful thoughts in him- personified.

Another month passed... Only a few more until Halloween was upon him once more. Pitch could last that long. He _would_. Spirit suffering as it was, and soul as black as the nightmares he faced, Pitch would _not_ stop fighting.

...

Jack squatted upon a twisted tree branch, situated high upon a pine tree. He was nestled into the leaves, hidden safely by the camouflage of other forest trees, all swaying gently in the night breeze. Below, Jack eyed a large hole in the ground. _The_ hole. The one Pitch Black was currently trapped within.

For these past few months, Jack had been stopping by to spy on the location, waiting eagerly to see if he could catch Pitch Black doing anything suspicious. However, each night he visited, he was dissapointed.

Pitch did not stir from his cavern prison- just as he said he couldn't. But Halloween was fast approaching now. It wouldn't be long before the Boogy Man was free again to wreak havoc. And what of his strange accomplice?

The Wishing Star.

Jack lifted his gaze to the heavens, taking in the awe inspiring sight of the gleaming constellations and sweeping light beams of the Milky Way Galaxy.

The reality that he and the Wishing Star had met before, under most shameful circumstances, still tormented Jack's mind. How could he have been so incredibly naive as to wish away his own memories? Hadn't he any idea of the consequences his actions would have had? Apparently not- or he hadn't cared enough to dwell on it. Hence why he'd spent hundreds of years, pining over his unknown identity and origin.

How utterly stupid. By far, Jack's worst mistake.

Shaking his head, Jack searched out the crested moon, half hidden from the sun at this time of the month.

He wished he could find the Wishing Star... He still had so many questions. Such as, just _what_ was she doing, giving Pitch Black a chance to change? Did she know nothing of the evil stored within Pitch's ugly heart?

With her father being Manny, it was hard to believe the Wishing Star could be so clueless as to what she'd gotten herself into.

Perhaps it was her desire to _try_ and change Pitch Black that inspired her to action?

The minutes ticked away, and somewhere an owl hooted, breaking Jack's line of thought. There was nothing for him to see here. He would come back on Halloween and confront Pitch then. It made the most sense. Clutching his staff tighter, Jack stood up on the tree branch and hopped off into the air, where the wind lifted and propelled him away into the sky.

...

All the while, the Wishing Star watched.

Her crystal eyes were ever shining down upon Pitch Black's little hole of despair. Little did he know how often her attention was fixed upon him. How could he possibly be aware that her heart fluttered with every soft whisper he muttered on his breath meant specifically for her?

Yet still, she worried. She knew she was becoming attached... And it wasn't good. It was startlingly evident to her that she should not have even been _entertaining_ his offer to her. The offer to rebel against her own father and join his mission... Whatever that mission actually was... He hadn't exactly given her particulars. But she knew it was only bound to be something bad!

And still she felt that subtle pulling, that gentle tug in her heart towards him. She wanted to see him again. She wanted to spend more time with him. Why?

Their relationship was intended to be of a strictly professional nature. To let it turn into anything more was forbidden. She had a job to do, and could not sacrifice her purpose for a selfish whim.

But was it really selfish? Was wanting real companionship really a bad thing? All her existance she had served her father, and served those who called upon her, as was her duty. But when had she ever done anything for herself? When was the last time anyone had _asked_ her what she wanted?

Pitch Black was the first and only supernatural being to acknowledge the fact that she too had wishes and fears, just like any other person. Why did every one else's needs always come before her own? Was it not about time she did something to please herself?

This way of thinking, while tempting and all too easy to fall into, was incredibly dangerous. Time and time again, the Wishing Star caught herself and corrected any rebellious ideas of hers. It was not right that she feel this way. But what else was she to do with these negative feelings? Each time her thoughts leaned in the direction of what _she_ wanted, she felt herself slipping more and more into the reality that was the emptiness of her soul.

The distance between she and her father was becoming more palpable, and the only way the Wishing Star could comfort herself in these days was by refraining from meeting with Pitch. As long as her thoughts simply _remained_ thoughts, she was not guilty of doing anything wrong... Right?

And then she witnessed as Pitch Black's nightmares suddenly returned to torment him. Why they had come again, the Wishing Star could only guess. Was Pitch anxious that she would refuse his offer to join him? Was he so desperate to hear back from her that he had put himself into this panic?

Guilt, stronger than she'd ever felt before, began to press hard upon the Wishing Star's spirit. She could not leave Pitch Black to fight his demons on his own. Her heart would not allow it.

And so, the day before Halloween, she made up her mind to go to him.

She knew not what she would say. She only knew that she missed him, and longed to be in his company once more...


	10. Chapter 10

Pitch Black swung his dark ax in a swift slash to the left, warning away the nightmare that had just about nipped him in the shoulder. Another nightmare reared to his right, its black hooves thrashing in the air towards his face. Pitch was forced to duck the powerful strikes, but not soon enough.

One of the pawing hooves clipped him a hard one on the chin, sending him staggering backwards onto the cold hard pavement. The nightmares whinnied loudly, their vicious war cries trumpeting the come of their impending victory. They gathered around him now, red eyes gleaming, nostrils fuming smoke, snorting viciously.

Pitch, in pain and disoriented, scarcely had the strength or the wits about him to possibly avoid what was about to come. The nightmares trampling hooves were pawing ever closer. Maybe they would do him the favor of knocking him out- putting him out of his misery.

He thought he could last until _she_ came... He had thought he could _defeat _these fears_. _He had been wrong.

Darkness surrounded him, and Pitch closed his eyes, surrendering to the black, lonely void in which he knew all too well.

The next thing Pitch knew... Light assaulted his eyes, flooding the caverns so brightly it blinded him. The nightmares screamed as they parished where they stood, vanishing in the wake of such intense power.

Astonished, Pitch was forced to lift an arm to cover his face. And then, he felt warmth...

Not a smothering, uncomfortable warmth, no... It was a soothing, lovely warmth. It made him feel safe.

Then the light dimmed, and Pitch looked up.

And what he saw... Why! It was _her_...

"Wishing Star," he breathed out, hardly able to believe it. Had she been watching him? Had she known he was in danger and come to his aid? Suddenly he realized he didn't care. She was here... He wasn't alone anymore. She was smiling sweetly, and leaning down to kneel beside him on the ground, her long skirts flowing around her and her eyes sparkling and merry.

His heart lept within his chest in. But it was not the same kind of leap it made when he was afraid or angry. What else could it be Surely not...Happiness?

Yes, happiness, that's what it was. He remembered now. Wait, what? Happiness?! That was not possible! He hadn't felt _happy_ in ages!

Eyes widening with this realization, Pitch stared at the Wishing Star in mild horror.

"It's alright... I'm here now," she whispered back to him, her voice like the coo of a dove.

"I- You- How-?"

Pitch Black's tongue was all over his mouth, unable to produce one fluid, single thought, and instead blurting out fractions of multiple ones. He'd never felt so illiterate in his life. It was _embarrassing_!

"Shhhh," the Wishing Star smiled, setting a hand on his shoulder. "Can you stand?"

Pitch swallowed, feeling stupidly out of his depth, but nodded and moved to gain his feet. The Wishing Star stood up as well, but Pitch stepped back to gain some distance from her.

Happiness was not an emotion that had come knocking to the door of his heart in an extremely long time... And he wasn't quite sure how to welcome it.

"Thank you..." He managed, once he was steady. "I must admit, your timing was very unexpected..."

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting so long after our last visit," the Star replied humbly. "I had intended to meet with you sooner, but I... Well... I had a lot to think about," she explained carefully.

Pitch swallowed, staring at her with expectant, almost _hopeful_, eyes.

"And... Have you reached a decision?" He inquired, his tone wavering on the side of timidity. He wasn't sure, after all, that he wanted to hear her answer. What if it was a 'no'? How would he handle that rejection? How could he proceed from then on? His schemes only went so far... And he wasn't certain how much longer he could keep scheming should he fail yet _again_.

The Wishing Star looked down, and Pitch's heart sunk. So... It was as he feared.

"Pitch, this is very hard for me..." Wishing Star confessed, now taking a step nearer to him. Pitch recoiled from her again, his small flame of happiness doused by bitterness.

"I don't want to hear it," Pitch practically hissed, turning away. The dissapointment felt raw this time. More raw then ever before...

"No! Pitch-!" the Wishing Star pleaded, chasing after him and grabbing onto his sleeve. "Please, you must hear what I need to say," she besieged, her eyes brimming with tears. Pitch turned to glare over his shoulder at her, but instead of a seeing what he wanted to see- a shallow, naive little coward- all he could see was straight through her heart and into her deepest fear.

She didn't want to _loose_ him.

The realization stunned him. She was afraid of loosing _him_?

"Pitch, you must know that I do care for you-" The Wishing Star proceeded, her sweet voice breaking with emotion. Pitch immediately clung to her, desperately, hanging on her every word. "It's just that-"

"Pitch!"

A young male voice echoed through the cavern, breaking the tender moment. A chilly breeze gusted through the cave, suddenly breaking against Pitch with a powerful shove, and tearing him away from the Wishing Star, sending him sprawling to the ground in a clumped, black heap.

_Jack Frost!_

Snarling, Pitch regained his feet, spinning about and forming a long, glinting black cleaver from nightmare dust. Jack Frost spun out of the air to land in a tuck in roll, wielding his hooked staff with a savage look of agression upon his pale face. And coming just behind him, was North, Bunnymund, Sandy, and the Tooth Fiary.

So the whole gang had come...

Pitch immediately moved to protectively stand between the intruders and the Wishing Star. He would not let anyone divide them.

"How dare you trespass into my lair!" Pitch Black roared.

"Step away from the Wishing Star, Pitch," Jack ordered, "We won't let you control or minpulate her!"

Pitch seethed in anger, baring his sharp, fanged teeth in outrage. How dare the Guardians assume such a thing! It was positively- untrue?

But wait- hadn't that been what Pitch was trying to do all along? Control and manipulate the Wishing Star to play a part in his plans? Yes... Yes that had been his goal. So what Jack was saying _was_ true.

Swallowing thickly, Pitch turned his head to look at the Wishing Star, revelation donning in his eyes.

He didn't _want_ to control or manipulate her... He wanted her to be with him because _she_ wanted to be... Not because he had decieved or mislead her...

But he didn't DESERVE her! There she stood, positively breathtaking, inside and out, her eyes glossed with tears of fear and her lips parted in worry. Worry for _him_. She was so good, so pure! She had come to save him, come to turn him on the right path! And he had sought to use her for his own advantage! The grief of his actions hammered into his conscience like a gavel.

He was guilty, on all counts.

Shaken to the core, Pitch clutched his cleaver tightly in his hand, indecision written all over his ashen face. However, the subtle movement was enough to put the Guardians on edge.

"I said, STEP AWAY!" Jack shouted, aiming his staff at him. It was Bunnymund who struck first, hurling his boomerang into the air, which spinning around, swung in a circle around Pitch and the Wishing Star. The Wishing Star gasped and ducked, and Pitch, desperate to shield her, moved to hack the boomerang away. However, as he moved to do so, a band of sand whipped out and latched onto his wrist, yanking him away from the Wishing Star.

"No!" Pitch screamed, furiously glaring at Sandy. He would _not_ let them take his Wishing Star away from him! With a sweep of his cleaver, Pitch disintegrated the leash of sand from his wrists, but just as he got free it was North who began to attack him with swords. Pitch was forced to duck and weave, avoiding the blades, and getting a strong set of blocking strikes in with his own cleaver. All the while, the Wishing Star was shouting.

"No! Please stop! Please! Don't hurt him!" But her cries were not heard.

Just as Pitch had gained the upper hand on North in their swords battle, he was side blasted by a stream of ice from Jack's staff. It came so quickly that Pitch was unable to deflect it, and was pinned directly to the nearest cavern wall, frozen there.

The air was forced from his lungs on impact, causing Pitch to struggle for breath, wheezing, unable to speak.

"No! Stop!" The Wishing Star intercepted, rushing to stand between the Guardians and where Pitch hung, vulnerably from the wall.

She held both her hands out, and suddenly the cave began to rattle, rumble and groan.

An earthquake was shaking the cavern, causing massive cracks to rip through the stone ground. Jack, Bunnymund, and North were forced to jump, again and again, to avoid falling into one of the cracks, while Sunny and Tooth hovered to try and help. None were able to believe what was happening.

Then, just as quickly as the earthquake had come, it stopped. The Wishing Star lowered her hands a large crack splitting the rock ground between the Guardians, and herself and Pitch. The Guardian's faces were ones of shock. Glaring hard at them, the Wishing Star turned abruptly to go to Pitch.

With a single touch, the ice disappeared from the wall, and freed him from his inprisonment. Pitch dropped down, weakly, and the Wishing Star caught him, helping him balance. Pitch's mind was still swimming with uncertainties, feeling torn apart. He wanted to stand with her, but he felt so undeserving.

The Guardians fought for her honor, and for her safety. What was _he_ fighting for? He had **nothing** to offer her... But here she was, lifting her hands to his cheeks and looking into his dazed eyes with deep concern.

All was still and silent, everyone speechless in the aftermath of the unexpected earthquake.

And it was _then_, that suddenly, a bright shaft of light shone through the cavern's entrance above. It was moonlight. It was the Man in Moon.

The ray of moonlight encompassed the whole cave, arresting everyone's undivided attention. The Wishing Star, turned the moment she felt her father's presence and stared up through the hole in the cavern's cieling, face to shining face with her sire.

She lifted her hands, her expression pleading.

"Father! I'm so sorry, I've disobeyed you. But I could not turn a blind eye to Pitch Black's desperate call for a wish. A wish to have a Holliday of his own, a wish to have a purpose! A chance to be believed in for something _good_! I looked into his heart and saw all he ever wanted was to be loved by someone!"

Pitch swallowed, glancing from the bright, shining form of Man in Moon, then to the Guardians. He wasn't sure how he felt about his private wish being shared to all of them... But he wasn't about to speak up and interrupt the Wishing Star now. He had no face left to save. Man in Moon was not a power to be trifled with... And he had no desire left to rebel. What point was there in fighting anymore?

As it was, the Wishing Star continued her explanations, her tone ringing out in pure sincerity, and innocence of heart.

"I answered Pitch Black's call, and granted his wish, giving unto him the Holliday of Halloween. I knew in my heart that he could- that he _would_ change, and he has, remarkably so. The Guardians came here to defend me from him on false pretenses. They believed he presented a danger to me, but this is not so. Please show Pitch Black mercy, and grant him your blessing to proceed on this new path before him!" She bade, with all the love in her heart.

Pitch held his breath, staring up at Man in Moon with wide, waiting eyes.


	11. Chapter 11

Pitch Black was frightfully aware that his future hung in the balance.

With one word from the Man in Moon, everything would be decided.

Would Pitch continue to be known as nothing more than the untrustworthy, manipulative, and domineering Boogyman? Would he continue his life, estranged from all others, alone and unwanted? Forever separated from all other immortals, and considered unworthy of association, much less freindship?

How could he be expected to carry on in such an existance? He had already endured many ages of this lifestyle of not needing anyone, and not wanting anyone to need him. There was no denying that living this way had finally become stale and meaningless.

In fact, if he was forced to go on in this manner, Pitch was certain he would rather _die_. If only an immortal could manage such a thing.

Just _when_ Pitch realized this fact, he didn't know. Perhaps it had been slowly donning on him this whole time... This whole time since having met the Wishing Star that is... And my, how quickly Pitch had grown accostomed to her company! She was enchanting, mysterious and completely inspiring. With her, Pitch knew a fresh sweetness he had never known before in the span of his entire life.

And as he had just discovered only moments ago, the Wishing Star's greatest fear was the threat of loosing him. Pitch didn't want to dissapoint her. He didn't want to loose her either...

If there was only something he could _do_ in this moment, to ensure that they would not be seperated...

The silence had lasted an excruciatingly long time. It seemed everyone was holding their breath, waiting in suspense for what the Man in Moon would say. For what he would **do**.

Then, the stream of moonlight which lit the room unexpectedly narrowed across the large crack in the floor, in which the Wishing Star had made by her own power. Slowly, the crack began to mend back together. By some act of magical manipulation, the damage done by the earthquake was restored, and a smooth, unscarred ground lay between Pitch, Wishing Star, and the Gaurdians.

And all the while, the Wishing Star was staring up into the light of her father's face, a smile upon her lips and joyful tears in her eyes.

As soon as the giant crack was mended, the Moon shifted, turning away from the cavern entrance, and removing his light with him.

Pitch gaped up at where the Man in Moon had been, not knowing what to think of what had happened. Confused, he turned to the Wishing Star for some help. A beautiful smile lit her face, and she rushed to him, clasping his hands in hers.

"Wh-what did he say?" Pitch asked, desperate for some clarification. She gladly gave it.

"My father has revoked his curse from you! He is giving you a second chance!" She beamed proudly, squeezing his hands with excitement. Pitch's mind reeled.

"He- he did?" He croaked.

"He did what!?" Shouted North.

"I don't understand," despaired Tooth.

"Aye! Tell us! What all was said!" Bunnymund protested.

"What curse?" Jack Frost demanded.

Sandy projected one large question mark over his puzzled face.

The Wishing Star laughed gently.

"Of course, allow me," she said, moving to approach the Gaurdians, and tugging a rather uncertain Pitch along with her.

"I'm afraid this whole thing begins with a story... And a long story it is. Please bare with me, and all your questions will soon be answered," The Wishing Star promised softly.

The Gauridans shifted to stand at ease, and Pitch quirked a brow, wondering just what 'story' was about to be told.

"A long time ago, Man in Moon created an immortal being in whom was given the special gift of being able to see people's deepest, most terrifying fears. His job, was to collect those fears and carry them, thus freeing the minds and hearts of man kind. However, after a great time passed, this immortal found his job becoming tiresome. Each fear he took became a burdon to him. For he found that no matter how hard he tried, the world would _never_ be rid of fear. As soon as he took one, another would form in its place.

Resentment and frustration began to form inside the immortal's heart against human kind, for he saw them as being weak and cowardly. He could never understand their troubles, for he had been created by Man in Moon to be fearless. However, this trait made him proud, and turned him so haughty, that at last, he outright rebelled from his appointed task, and instead, turned to torturing and manipulating the humans with the very fears he was supposed to take away from them..."

Pitch's already deathly pale skin began to whiten even more at the story, plainly uncomfortable. But the Wishing Star just looked at him and boldly continued.

"When my father, the Man in Moon, saw how the immortal had fallen, he became very angry, and removed the imortial's fearlessness. He also placed upon him a curse... Since this immortal had deliberately made himself an enemy of his own free will, he was then doomed to a life where he would forever be so... Both to human, and immortal kind. And an enemy he has been ever since. Until today,"

Pitch looked down, unsure what he should say, or even how to _feel_. This was his history being shared, his life. And yet he'd never heard his story so condensed, so well summarized before. He didn't know quite what to make of it.

"Today, Pitch Black, my father witnessed a bright glimpse of goodness inside of you. He saw in you a deep longing to abandon your life of evil and mischief... A desire to be something _other_ than a manipulator of fears... Instead, he saw in you a desire to **remove** a fear. _My_ fear,"

The Wishing Star's eyes were glistening with tears now, and she squeezed Pitch Black's hand once more, trying to gain his full attention. Pitch was shyly staring down at the ground, uncertain how to respond with all this openness and vulnerability. Especially in front of the Guardians!

As it was, Jack Frost swallowed, appraently taken off guard by this dramatic turn of events. In fact, all of the Guardians appeared completely taken aback. All except for the Tooth Fairy perhaps. Tooth was smiling sweetly, with her hands clasped by her cheek.

"Pitch?"

The Wishing Star waited patiently until Pitch finally had the courage to meet her gaze.

"My father has decided to remove his curse from you...

You are no longer to be seen or treated as an enemy,"

Immdieatly, Pitch felt a strange heaviness lift off of him. The heaviness was so real, that it was actually physical. In the next moment, all of the Guardians witnessed as Pitch Black's gray skin cleared to a bright, healthy color. A pair of thick black eyebrows returned to his forehead and his is sharp, fanged teeth, straightened, evened and reduced to a normal appearance. His dark black eyes lit into a warm, friendly brown and his black cloak of darkness transformed into a suit.

Pitch stared at his feet, watching the transformation of his body as best he could, taking note of the healthy skin tone of his hands and arms. His heart beat pounded wildly, excitement, joy, peace, happiness, all crowded into his breast at once, overwhelming him to tears.

He fell to his knees, awestruck and defenseless to the barrage of pure, wonderful emotions being restored to him. He had not felt them for an eternity! It was like greeting old friends.

Pitch wept in wild abandon, not even realizing that he had apprehended the Wishing Star to hold her in his arms. She didn't seem to mind, for no struggle was made, and in fact, she hugged him in return, weeping with him.

The Guardians, suddenly feeling awkward to be present during this tender moment, were forced to wait until at last, Pitch opened his eyes and noticed them once more.

Getting ahold of himself, Pitch took a deep breath, releasing the Wishing Star from his grasp so she could slide out of his arms as they stood up together. She turned and smiled upon the Guardians, offering her hand out.

"Come, I beg you, and welcome Pitch into your fellowship. He has been restored, and thus, all grievances must be put aside," she bade them.

Reluctant at first, the Guardians slowly moved forward, until it was Tooth who hovered speedily forward and took Pitch's hand to shake it fervently, crying a happy congratulations! North, Bunnymund and Sandy all followed in her footsteps, genuinely coming to realize their own relief at the fact that this villain would no longer oppose them or the children they protected.

Jack Frost was last to congratulate Pitch, and it was hardest for him. It didn't take being a genious for Pitch to see that. He and Jack did, after all, have a rivalry.

So, it was Pitch who extended his hand first.

"I want to apologize to you, and make the promise that I shall endeavor to put all the evil of my past behind me. I hope, you can come to do the same," he expressed sincerely.

Jack eyed him, critically at first. But then, a warmth crept into his icy blue eyes, and the snow spirit extended his hand to meet Pitch's for a shake. When the handshake ceased, and Jack stepped backwards, he couldn't resist saying,

"I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, But I'm still not fully convinced this isn't some sort of trick..."

Pitch actually laughed at that, causing the other Guardian's to startle in surprise. The only laugh they were used to hearing from the Boogyman was a sinister one. Not this merry, jovial sound. The Wishing Star just smiled happily. Pitch finally stopped laughing and regathered himself. But a grin, on the verge of being a smirk, lingered there on his face.

"It's always fun and games with you, isn't it Jack Frost? Very well, it's just past midnight, and Halloween is here anyways," Pitch reminded everyone. The Wishing Star nodded, having also realized this.

"What will you do now, Pitch?" She asked gently, a tender affection in her voic and shining in her eyes. Pitch stepped near to her once more, gathering her hand in his.

"I, for one, believe I'd like to go Trick or Treat."

...

**The End**

* * *

_Thank you all for reading, and to all those who reviewed! Can't believe this story took me years to finish! I'm a bit embarrassed, but oh well. All good things come to those who wait, right? I hope you thought this story to be a good one. Leave some more reviews for me, if you've got the time. I'd really appreciate it! ;) _

_-2Tame A River _


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